After hunting frame after frame through Boomtown, I collected three where I’m clearly visible. There may have been a few others, but I blinked and missed them…

About a month ago, I went on a rampage, searching through all of my DVDs to find the ones I’d worked on, but had yet to hunt for screen captures. I pulled out Lords of Dogtown, Smokin’ Aces, 13 Going on 30 and Serenity (for goodness sake!), and put them in a pile next to the collection so that all I had to do was pop them in my computer, go to the scene(s) I was in and snap some captures.

Of course, that pile is still collecting dust.

However, also around this time, I updated my Netflix cue with all the shows I was on but didn’t have captures for. Let me just say that it’s a damn good thing I can’t get another DVD until I send back the ones I have! That is how I was forced (yeah, my arm was twisted, it was so horrible to have to find some time to watch some entertainment rather than building in Second Life or answering email or writing another scene…just horrible) to gather up these captures.

So horrible, I’ll likely blow the dust off that stack of DVDs real soon so I can post some new screen captures (of course, only if there’s a frame or two of me that isn’t on the cutting room floor).

In Second Life, I go by the name Twyla Briggs. I’m still learning the ropes, but I just set up a booth on Publisher Island. #59 to be exact. It’s in view of Book Island, too. I put a phantom castle on the front. You can’t miss it.

Beyond the castle is Tayna’s Chronicle Room from Otherness: Rift. How nifty is it that anyone can write a book and then create its world in Second Life? And, like, walk around in that world? Good golly, the possibilities are endless and I look forward to doing Ashleigh Raine books there, too.

I had tons of fun scouring SL for props and scanning various things in my Real Life repertoire (aka stashes of precious junk) for correct textures. The castle image on the front of my booth is actually 3 photos from various vacations in England. Yay! For re-purposing vacation pictures!

My favorites from the whole experience were seeing the big ol’ book laying on Tayna’s table, Tayna’s tea cup and Twyla’s crystal ball.

In Otherness: Rift, the book is called the Rede. Right now, in SL, the Rede is just a simple object. I have much planned for it in the future. Much more than what’s in the novel I wrote…because, well, I can play with it more in Second Life!

While Tayna’s tea cup isn’t exactly like any of the ones she drinks out of in Otherness: Rift, it’s close. Plus, it was the first thing that was given to me (thank you, Weasel Gough), so to modify it was also kind of special. It started as a very simple, white cup of black tea. I transformed it into a celtic-patterned cup of green tea. Feel free to stop by my booth and copy one for yourself. I left the drinking script in it, so your avatar can enjoy!

And finally, Twyla’s crystal ball. Well, that’s a sort of funny thing. I’d gotten a box of miscellaneous lights that included some particle balls. None of them were quite right for my idea of the ball Tayna was using to scry in Otherness: Rift, so I opened up the script to see if I could figure out how to modify it. I didn’t know what I was doing, but I kept changing numbers until I got the right colors, the right movement and the right speed. My husband was so shocked, he helped me build a base for it from scratch. What a fantastic learning experience.

I look forward to many more builds and such in Second Life. Say hi if you see Twyla Briggs!!!!

I enjoy exploring Second Life as Twyla Briggs, but for some reason I hadn’t considered having a presence there until recently. Sure, I always figured I’d collaborate with some of my friends (they’ve already got a lot going on), but I hadn’t dreamed of doing something on my own…y’know, like figuring out how to build stuff.

Well, the time has come. I have booth #59 on Publisher Island and I gotta do something really cool with it. I mean, like, really, really cool. ‘Cause with the quality of what my friends do and have done, I gotta present something at least respectable. I’m married to Fallon Winnfield, for goodness sake. Visit Manoa. You’ll see why I’m feelin’ pressure!

And I don’t want his help, either. Advice, yes, but I wanna learn this myself. My goal is to have him come to me asking how to do stuff, not always the other way around. I want my friends to be surprised that I did so well first time out.

When physical light is introduced in Second Life, well, I’ll be even more motivated than I am now. Once upon a time, I was a theatrical lighting designer. I still read books on the history of stage lighting just for the fun of it even though I haven’t done a real stage show in several years. I miss lighting. A lot. So, to have the opportunity to do it in Second Life without renting fixtures, dimmers, miles of cable, a light board and then having to load, hang and focus it all myself using a ladder that’s probably too wobbly and short…well, you get the picture.

Right now, SL lighting isn’t physical. There are no shadows unless you manufacture them yourself. I’m too lazy. I wanna point a light at something and have the shadows happen naturally like they’re supposed to. To me, that’s one of the things that makes light so beautiful: the give and take between what is seen in the light and what is unseen in the shadows.

I get very busy quite often. Sometimes, this blog seems forsaken. That’s not the case anymore because if nothing else gets updated, I plan to Twitter. That means that the little section of the sidebar under my picture will frequently change.

I might mention what I’m doing at that very moment, what I’m about to do or what I’ve already done. Sometimes, it’s boring and sometimes, well… it could get interesting.

I sometimes do a lot of unrelated things in a day…after all, that’s when I’m at my happiest, so I’ll do my best to share.

For instance, one of the things I could’ve twittered if I’d gotten set up about a month ago would be: After pairing my phone with a Lamborghini Gallardo while I was at a stoplight, I realized it was too early to call anyone.

Or from last week: I am hunting down pics of myself dressed as Cancan Leeloo so I can post them on my website.

(Yes, look for those soon!)

In fact, I’m gonna go do a new one right now: Drinking High Mountain Ginseng Oolong tea that doesn’t taste like shit.

“Otherness: Rift is a novel which captured my imagination from the first page and drew me into the story’s world, so that for the duration of the novel I found myself transported and forgetting I was simply reading, and not living along with the characters. As a lifelong reader, I realize how rare such an event is, and treasure each book in which this happens. Rina Slayter has quite a way with words and has composed an excellent beginning to a new fantasy series which will attract many readers who love mystery, suspense, fantasy, magic, and romance.”

“Rina Slayter has created a mesmerizing page-turner with this novel. The characters are funny, sophisticated and fascinating. OTHERNESS: RIFT is an original and deeply intriguing tale complete with secret mysteries and prophesies but set in modern day California. With both a vivid cast of characters and mystical lore, the reader is hooked from the very beginning. This is the kind of novel that takes you to a different place and allows your imagination to soar.”

~Bonnie Lass, Coffee Time Romance

This was my very first review and I will always cherish it… Not just because she gave Otherness: Rift a 5! Thank you!!!!!

“Rina Slayter is a very talented writer who knows what readers want and also knows how to deliver it. Otherness: Rift left me breathless by moments. I particularly liked the part where Liz awakens in the earthquake, I could almost feel it myself. This book contains magic, mystery and witchcraft. A powerful warlock is also present. The earthquake reveals alot that was better kept hidden. Rina Slayter has written a really enjoyable and fascinating story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.”

“I enjoyed Rift and the world the author laid forth. This fantasy tale and its themes of friendship and the history and ancient historical magic made this a unique tale. The characters were well drawn and engaged my attention and emotions… I can see Ms. Slayter’s complex world-building in evidence here. This appears to be her first solo work, and I’m interested to see what else she has up her sleeve.”

I am a published author, background actor, paranormal investigator, video editor, test driver, shade tree mechanic, serious tea drinker, costume/clothing/jewelry designer, antique doll hobbyist, former stagehand and self-styled weirdo. I've been in movies and television shows such as Spiderman 2, Domino, Angel, The Changeling, and have danced the Cancan while dressed as Leeloo from The Fifth Element.